Chasing Nature: An Introduction

Dispatches on wildlife, wild places and the human condition.

Let’s be honest: Nature writing is somewhat a fraud. No matter how lyrical, it’s never as good as actual nature. So with the force of the written word (and some pretty pictures), Chasing Nature’s intent is to get you outside to enjoy and make some sense of the world.

Here you’ll discover owls and orchids, sexual selection and gender identity, warfare and warblers, joy and wonder (lots of joy and wonder). A field biologist, I’ve been navigating this terrain for nearly a half century. Along the way my essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Orion, Aeon, Field & Stream and lots of other places.

Chasing Nature is for birders and botanists, for backyard and armchair naturalists, for thinkers and wanderers, for anyone who seeks refuge in wild nature, human nature, and the force of the written word.

And yet I recognize that our brains can only absorb so much writing and knowledge. Chasing Nature’s mission isn’t necessarily to add to your information overload, but to bring shared meaning to things you probably already know or feel. That’s my pledge.

My Backstory

When not in the field or writing, I have been — or still am — a bread baker, a pot washer, an air-pollution chemist, a firefighter, a mercenary writer, a print journalist, a professional photographer, and a consulting field biologist for governments, non-profits and private landowners. I’m adjunct faculty in natural resources at The University of Vermont, serve on the Vermont Endangered Species Committee, and trace my eco-root in part to hard-core birdwatching (although I’ve since recovered from that affliction). I am also owned by an English shepherd named Odin.

Subscriber Benefits

Every subscriber gets most dispatches gratis and my gratitude for your time and attention to these essays.

Paid Subscribers (Monthly or Yearly)

You get the benefit of supporting independent writing that might do yourself (maybe even the world) some good. Chasing Nature can’t happen without you. Other perks include:

• Every post, every essay, every image.

• A video seminar series on nature.

• Subscriber-only chats with me about ideas and what’s currently wild near you.

Founding Subscribers

The patrons among you get all of the above plus small-group video meets with me on a variety of topics, including AMAs (Ask Me Anythings).

By the way, if the fee is a barrier, send me an email. We’ll work it out.

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